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Cleaning a cutting board

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    Cleaning a cutting board

    Must be food safety day for me. Some time ago I acquired a large plastic cutting board that is large enough to cut up 4 racks of spare ribs at a time. The problem is cleaning the darn thing, it is too big for the sink. I typically angle one corner into the sink, soap and scrub then rotate etc and usually end up getting water splashed everywhere which is probably not a good thing. I have seen several people mention just wiping it down to get the majority of particles off, and then using diluted bleach, or vinegar, and sometimes i've seen peroxide used to finish it up. Is this sufficient? What do you do to clean your boards?

    #2
    I use the bath tub and after washing with dish detergent I finish up with a soak of 10 % bleach solution for about 15 minutes. If your board is too big for the tub try using a nice thick towel soaked in the same bleach solution and leave for 15 to 20 minutes. Please don't ruin a good towel but rather use something old. if the towel dries out rewet it. Three percent peroxide might be ok but I would use a food grade 35% diluted 3 parts water to one of the peroxide. Hope this helps.

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      #3
      I got one of them big ones, too big for the sink. I wipe and rinse best I can. All the while tilting and turning around to get both ends good. Then I will either spray down with my bleach solution and let air dry. Or pour straight bleach over it, both ways, let it whiten some, then rinse off.

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        #4
        I won't worry too much then, it is only used for raw meat and I store it by itself. Thanks guys.

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          #5
          Will it fit in the dishwasher? Is it plastic? If so, rinse real well and put on top rack and wash. Bleach in dishwasher soap will take care of any concerns.

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            #6
            Lol it won't quite fit, I keep it on top of my refrigerator and just barely fits. And it is a side by side. 32x36 as I recall.

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            • Dr ROK
              Dr ROK commented
              Editing a comment
              That's one big cutting board!

            #7
            I have to sanitize large cutting boards every day. What I do, is to wet down the cutting board, put a couple drizzles of detergent, and pour on some full strength bleach. Scrub the hell out of it, then rinse(while still scrubbing) with water.You must scrub every square inch! Chlorine bleach evaporates fairly quickly, so zero worries of any contamination, chemical or biological. This is a very common technique used in the food industry. This method is especially effective with synthetic cutting boards. The local and state health department are dow with this as well. I hope this helps..
            Last edited by Strat50; January 7, 2015, 02:18 AM. Reason: omission

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              #8
              I have a large wooden cutting board, it stay on the countertop. I use a soapy sponge scrub then spray with a vinegar water solution, let that sit then wipe. Seal with cutting board oil.

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              • Strat50
                Strat50 commented
                Editing a comment
                Earnest, I would respectfully submit that, perhaps a change may help. I love wood cutting boards, but will only use them to cut produce, as they will harbor bacteria due to their porosity. If you cut both meat and any ready to eat food on the same board, even with washing, sooner or later someone will get sick. This issue causes more food bourn illness than any other cause. This is why most health departments prohibit wood cutting boards in food preparation environments. Even the sanitizer storm I use is not completely effective on wood.

              • Ernest
                Ernest commented
                Editing a comment
                I'll keep that in mind.
                Now most of me cooked meats have their own cutting board.

              #9
              I use a wood cutting board for serving and plastic for raw meat. Bleach for the latter but just soap and water for the former. So far so good.

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              • Strat50
                Strat50 commented
                Editing a comment
                You still need to disinfect. A trick we used in the kitchen, when it was still legal to use wood boards, was to place a freshly cleaned board in a 300 degree oven for 45 min. This is the only easily executed way I know to kill all the bacteria that the wood harbors. You don't need to do this all the time, just every few uses. This is assuming you disinfect every time you use the wood board, of course. It's usually not a problem until it is, then you'll get horribly sick. It's just not worth the risk.

              #10
              OK, upgrading my sterilization practices now!

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                #11
                Strat, I'll adopt that oven trick, thanks!!!

                Comment


                • Strat50
                  Strat50 commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Oh, I forgot(senior moment), once your cutting board is heated through, take out of the oven and paint on some melted food grade paraffin. Place back in the oven. Keep repeating the process until the wood will soak up no more. Once the wood soaks up the wax, remove, cool and scrape off any excess. This process makes your board much easier to clean and sanitize.

                • Ernest
                  Ernest commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Much appreciated Strat! Does butcher block mineral oil with beeswax work the same?

                • Strat50
                  Strat50 commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Not as well, as it doesn't harden at room temperatures. This would make a decent second choice, however. When the paraffin hardens, nothing gets through to the inner wood till you make a deep scratch. Once your board gets dingy looking, just clean, sanitize and re"season" with the paraffin method in the oven again. The more you do it, the easier it gets.

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